


Fish are really cute, but so are you

by ImagineYourself



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aquariums, Fluff, God it's so cute I might die, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 07:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4426796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineYourself/pseuds/ImagineYourself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was June and they were in San Diego, the traffic alone making Dean wish they could just leave already but Sam was busy with something at a library and Cas wanted to go to the aquarium. So Dean found himself driving over to Birch Aquarium and walking under the clouds, past the whale statues, and to the ticket booth to purchase two tickets all the while making sure not to look over at Cas' fascinated smile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fish are really cute, but so are you

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this post http://franklymydeanidontgiveasam.tumblr.com/post/125064070300/twistedviper-whorusszahhak and was like hey it's midnight and I have work in the morning what better time to write fluff is there hahah please end me. This isn't edited bc I'm going to sleep I'll fix it later maybe

It was June and they were in San Diego, the traffic alone making Dean wish they could just leave already but Sam was busy with something at a library and Cas wanted to go to the aquarium. So Dean found himself driving over to Birch Aquarium and walking under the clouds, past the whale statues, and to the ticket booth to purchase two tickets all the while making sure not to look over at Cas' fascinated smile.

“Dean, look, I got a map so we won't get lost!” Cas was saying as they went inside, the main lobby filled with a group of children who—thankfully—looked to be leaving.

“This place isn't that big, Cas.”

Not even Dean's tired grumble could dampen the smile on the other man's face. “Come on, let's start this way.” Cas led the way to one of the halls, his bright eyes countering the surly face Dean was making.

“It's just a bunch of fish, why is he so excited?” he mumbled to himself, following after and threading through couples holding hands and small children to catch up.

“Dean, come look at this!” The former angel was looking at a tank full of little fish, brightly colored and swimming fast around each other. “They're so cute.” He moved on to the next tank, featuring a large eel that was slinking along the bottom and looking around warily.

Dean didn't really understand the appeal of fish. They were kind of slimy and made funny faces at you and you couldn't pet them or cuddle like with a dog or a cat. Honestly he'd almost prefer going to a farm with stinky cows and snorting pigs than silent little sea creatures. But Cas was the one who wanted to go and they didn't have much chance to take breaks like this and just enjoy themselves. And Cas sure looked like he was enjoying himself, moving from tank to tank, staring with awe at even the little snails that crawled along the glass.

Following him slowly through the hallways, Dean felt himself smiling a little, looking at the other man more than the fish. That was just to make sure he didn't lose him in the crowd, though, Dean told himself. Definitely not because watching the smile on Cas' face made Dean feel like it was all worth it in the end. He might as well let himself relax a little too, so long as Cas was having fun.

They came to a huge display full of seaweed stretching far up and even a couple of smaller sharks lurking in the depths. Cas stood in the middle of the little room, just taking it all in, while Dean leaned back on the wall, glancing at the sharks every once in a while, but mostly just keeping an eye on Cas. After a few minutes, the dark-haired man glanced over his shoulder, as if to make sure Dean was still there, and Dean gave him a little wave. With an extra bright smile, Cas returned his attention to the fish and seemed to not even notice the people moving all around him.

“Your boyfriend's more interested in the fish than you, huh?” A woman's voice said next to Dean, making him jump slightly and glance over. An older woman smiled at him and nodded her head towards Cas.

“Oh, he's just—”

“My kids used to be like that, so fascinated with everything, especially the ocean and fish and all that.” Dean felt his mouth snap shut as she spoke. “It's good that he's still got that.”

She winked at him and Dean finally got the nerve to squeak something out. “Yeah, it is good.”

“Have a good day,” she told him with a warm smile. “And take a note or two, you look like you could use a bit of wonder now and again.” With that, she left, catching up with what looked like her husband before they left the room arm in arm.

“Who was that?” Cas' voice spooked Dean into whipping his head around.

“I don't know, just some lady. She was nice, though,” Dean replied absently.

Cas nodded thoughtfully. “Are you ready to move on? I think the octopus are in the next room.”

“Yeah,” Dean said with a smile, letting the other man lead the way.

The rest of the trip passed by quickly. They saw some cuttlefish, an octopus that Cas wanted to take home, and a bunch of different seahorses that clung to each other and floated to and fro. Outside, they found more sharks and a little tide pool area where Cas rolled up his sleeves and made sure to touch one of everything. His grin was contagious and he even managed to get Dean to stick a hand in and touch a starfish.

In the gift shop, Cas fell in love with a whale plushie that he all but begged Dean to buy. The cashier gave them a goopy smile as soon as she handed the whale to Cas who hugged it to his chest and thanked Dean. The hunter just grumbled but he couldn't hide the curl of his lips. The sun was about to set as they left and somehow Cas managed to convince Dean to drive twenty minutes down to the beach—though Dean didn't really mind, but only because he saw some little fish and chip shops by the sand that beckoned to him.

Fried fish in hand, the two skirted around towels, children, and various sandcastles as they padded barefoot through the sand, shoes safely tucked into Baby's trunk. Cas liked the feeling of water on his feet so he walked where the tide was coming up, Dean next to him on drier sand, munching happily on his dinner.

“Thank you for today Dean,” Cas said after a comfortable silence, the waves and other people's conversations filling the space. “I'm glad we could do this.”

“Me too,” Dean told him with a sideways smile. “We don't really get out much, do we?”

“Not as much as we probably should.”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Yeah, ain't that the truth.”

They came to an empty little sitting area with stone benches, most of the people further away on the beach, so they sat down. Dean let his knee lean against Cas' and looked over at the distant setting sun, lighting up the cloudy sky with pink and orange. A breeze blew across his ears and he glanced over to see Cas staring at him.

“What? Is there tartar sauce on my face?” Dean asked with a joking lilt.

Cas shook his head and smiled a little bit. “No. It's just... All today you were watching me at the aquarium, but—” He stopped and bit his lip. Dean raised his brows. “Sometimes I like just watching you.”

Dean looked away, back towards the sun, now halfway hidden behind the horizon. “After all the shit we go through everyday, it's nice to see you... I don't know, excited? You just looked happy, about some stupid fish even.” He paused to laugh a little, but continued more seriously, “These days we don't get much of that.”

“I am happy Dean. It might not be an easy life or a safe one, but what we do... I count my blessings after all I've done. We have a home, we're still saving people, Sam is alive... And I'm with you. I couldn't ask for much more.”

“You actually like hunting? Living in a hundred year old batcave?” Dean asked skeptically.

Cas chuckled. “I didn't say that exactly. But it's what you do and I've never been happier elsewhere.”

Dean was silent for a moment, drinking in that information. “So what, you're just here 'cause I'm here?”

“And Sam, too. Yes.” Cas was looking off at the waves when Dean glanced at his face. “There is nowhere else for me but by your side.”

“Cas—” Dean started to say something but he wasn't sure what so he stopped, his tongue heavy and his throat tight.

The smile Cas turned to him was the saddest smile Dean had ever seen. He couldn't open his lips to speak so he just twisted his body until he could wrap his arms around Cas' body. The other man turned into the embrace and returned it, all but smashing his face into Dean's shoulder.

“You could go anywhere you wanted, you know,” Dean muttered to him, not letting go.

“There's nowhere I'd rather be.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Dean. I'm sure.”

Dean finally sat back, his hands cupping Cas' head. “Are you really sure?”

Cas didn't even respond except to lean forward and press a kiss to the corner of Dean's mouth, the last crescent of the sun reflecting in his eyes when the hunter looked into them and smiled.

“I'll take that as a yes, then,” Dean mumbled before his lids closed and he brought their lips together.

It was the perfect kiss. Perfect in the way their knees were digging into each other, toes covered in grainy sand. Perfect in the cold wind that crashed over them like the waves against the rocks not twenty feet away. And most of all, perfect in the way Cas' smile against Dean's lips felt happier than any other he'd seen all day.

 


End file.
